SC to hear plea to ban water supply to liquor industry in Maha

New Delhi : The Supreme Court today agreed to hear a plea seeking complete ban on water supply to distilleries and breweries in drought-hit regions of Maharashtra.

The Aurangabad bench of Bombay high court had recently asked the state government to curtail water supply to the liquor industry by 60 per cent from May 10, which would be operative till June 27.

A vacation bench of Justices A M Sapre and Ashok Bhushan posted the matter for hearing on May 23 after a lawyer mentioned the plea saying that instead of curtailed water supply, there should be no supply of water at all as the entire region is facing acute water shortage.

The bench, which agreed to hear the plea, said that filing petition on the issue is not going to solve the problem.

“From where the drinking water will come. There is n water. Do you think by filing petition water will come,” the bench said.

The counsel further said that people are dying in the region due to the shortage of water supply and there is a limited water stock available.

He said people are being deprived of the drinking water as it is being given to the liquor industries.

Earlier, the Bombay High Court had also asked Maharashtra to cut supply to other industrial units in Marathwada by 25 per cent after May 10.